An Open Letter to the NBPA

Dear members of the NBPA and players of the NBA alike,

What now? At what point is enough, quite simply enough? What is it that you want? From what we've seen, you want to put tens if not hundreds of thousands of people out of work. People who have families at home just like you. People who have bills to pay. People who aren't necessarily gifted with athleticism or any other talent that led them to a high-paying career. People who struggle to feed their families even when they have a job. The very people who depend on you. People who need you to work in order to make their $8/hr, maybe $9 or $10 if they're lucky. Add in your fans, the fans who have supported you and cheered for you. The very fans who make sacrifices at times just to see you play the game in person. The NBA players used to be about passion of the game, sportsmanship, and competition. Seems lately, the NBA players care more about greed and selfishness, and how much money they can line their pockets with.

Ok, we get it... you feel you're worth more than what you've been paid or are set to be paid. Well let me say this, "In order to succeed, we must first make sacrifices." We understand you have talent, athleticism, and the ability to deal with a lot of pressure and backlash from the media as well as fans. However, is it really worth it to take away from everyone else as well? Is it really important to make a couple hundred thousand, even a few million more, in order to play the game? People depend on the game of basketball. They depend on it not only to survive and feed families, they depend on it to distract them from every day stress. It's a release, as you might say. Another world for some. We don't expect you to play for free, but at what point can you sit back and say, "Is all this really worth destroying the lives of others?". At what point do you step outside of the box and ask yourself, "Is this how we want the children who idol us to feel? Do we want them to constantly want more? To feel like nothing is ever enough? To believe that the players of the NBA care more about monetary gain than they do about the game, about having fun, about giving back to the community. The "NBA Cares", but it's players don't. Have so many of you lost sight of the simplicity of the whole thing? The reality of it all is, every game you play... feeds families. Period. It's not every day someone can go home and say, "I went to work today so others could feed their families." Heck, I would work for peanuts to carry that kind of pride and integrity.

In the end, we're all a system. We're all one giant machine. We depend on each other as co-workers. The most valuable piece of advice I ever learned, was the meaning of "TEAM". Together Everyone Achieves More. Right now, it's more about "I", and the first word that comes to mind for the letter "I" ... is Ignorance. Right now, you're ignoring the fact that you're making your problems, everyone else's. The same people who have supported you, cheered for you, and maybe even some day dreamed of being like you. Until you come back to reality, and realize that your actions are not only having an impact on the league, but also the very people who support you and make possible the very wages you make, the game and everything it represents... will continue to fade into non-existence. And it's fans? They continue to venture off, finding new avenues of entertainment and escape. In the end, that extra 5% or 10% that you seek from the league in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, will be lost in sales. The future of the game is in your hands, whether you choose to dribble out the clock and let the game be over or to take the shot and ultimately win, is up to you.


Sincerely,

Your average NBA fan.